[BUG] npm ERR! Exit handler never called!

[Shiokiri]

Is there an existing issue for this?

• I have searched the existing issues

This issue exists in the latest npm version

• I am using the latest npm

Current Behavior

npm is not working afternpm install gtop -g.

npm ERR! Exit handler never called!

npm ERR! This is an error with npm itself. Please report this error at:
npm ERR!     <https://github.com/npm/cli/issues>

npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in: /home/shiokiri/.npm/_logs/2023-05-18T08_14_51_134Z-debug-0.log

Expected Behavior

npm works without error.

Steps To Reproduce

1. In this environment...
2. With this config...
3. Run 'npm install gtop -g'
4. See error: 2023-05-18T08_14_51_134Z-debug-0.log

Environment

• npm: 9.6.6
• Node.js: 20.2.0
• OS Name: Debian GNU/Linux 11 (bullseye) x86_64
• System Model Name: 20YG001YCD ThinkPad E15 Gen 3
• npm config:

; "default" config from default values

_auth = (protected) 
access = null 
all = false 
allow-same-version = false 
also = null 
audit = true 
audit-level = null 
auth-type = "web" 
before = null 
bin-links = true 
browser = null 
ca = null 
cache = "/home/shiokiri/.npm" 
cache-max = null 
cache-min = 0 
cafile = null 
call = "" 
cert = null 
ci-name = null 
cidr = null 
color = true 
commit-hooks = true 
depth = null 
description = true 
dev = false 
diff = [] 
diff-dst-prefix = "b/" 
diff-ignore-all-space = false 
diff-name-only = false 
diff-no-prefix = false 
diff-src-prefix = "a/" 
diff-text = false 
diff-unified = 3 
dry-run = false 
editor = "vi" 
engine-strict = false 
fetch-retries = 2 
fetch-retry-factor = 10 
fetch-retry-maxtimeout = 60000 
fetch-retry-mintimeout = 10000 
fetch-timeout = 300000 
force = false 
foreground-scripts = false 
format-package-lock = true 
fund = true 
git = "git" 
git-tag-version = true 
global = false 
global-style = false 
globalconfig = "/home/shiokiri/.nvm/versions/node/v20.2.0/etc/npmrc" 
heading = "npm" 
https-proxy = null 
if-present = false 
ignore-scripts = false 
include = [] 
include-staged = false 
include-workspace-root = false 
init-author-email = "" 
init-author-name = "" 
init-author-url = "" 
init-license = "ISC" 
init-module = "/home/shiokiri/.npm-init.js" 
init-version = "1.0.0" 
init.author.email = "" 
init.author.name = "" 
init.author.url = "" 
init.license = "ISC" 
init.module = "/home/shiokiri/.npm-init.js" 
init.version = "1.0.0" 
install-links = false 
install-strategy = "hoisted" 
json = false 
key = null 
legacy-bundling = false 
legacy-peer-deps = false 
link = false 
local-address = null 
location = "user" 
lockfile-version = null 
loglevel = "notice" 
logs-dir = null 
logs-max = 10 
; long = false ; overridden by cli
maxsockets = 15 
message = "%s" 
metrics-registry = "https://registry.npmjs.org/" 
node-options = null 
noproxy = [""] 
offline = false 
omit = [] 
omit-lockfile-registry-resolved = false 
only = null 
optional = null 
otp = null 
pack-destination = "." 
package = [] 
package-lock = true 
package-lock-only = false 
parseable = false 
prefer-offline = false 
prefer-online = false 
prefix = "/home/shiokiri/.nvm/versions/node/v20.2.0" 
preid = "" 
production = null 
progress = true 
provenance = false 
proxy = null 
read-only = false 
rebuild-bundle = true 
registry = "https://registry.npmjs.org/" 
replace-registry-host = "npmjs" 
save = true 
save-bundle = false 
save-dev = false 
save-exact = false 
save-optional = false 
save-peer = false 
save-prefix = "^" 
save-prod = false 
scope = "" 
script-shell = null 
searchexclude = "" 
searchlimit = 20 
searchopts = "" 
searchstaleness = 900 
shell = "/bin/bash" 
shrinkwrap = true 
sign-git-commit = false 
sign-git-tag = false 
strict-peer-deps = false 
strict-ssl = true 
tag = "latest" 
tag-version-prefix = "v" 
timing = false 
tmp = "/tmp" 
umask = 0 
unicode = true 
update-notifier = true 
usage = false 
user-agent = "npm/{npm-version} node/{node-version} {platform} {arch} workspaces/{workspaces} {ci}" 
userconfig = "/home/shiokiri/.npmrc" 
version = false 
versions = false 
viewer = "man" 
which = null 
workspace = [] 
workspaces = null 
workspaces-update = true 
yes = null 

; "cli" config from command line options

long = true

[johnthagen]

We are experiencing this intermittently within our CI, which is running a node:20 (debian-based) container within GItLab CI Docker executor.

...
docker image sha256:109baa4cc978d34d3f3fbac170fc96a72178c4cc600ca938886f2f932385afd9 for node:20 with digest node@sha256:68ba78ba4a648b0eb50aa35b58126c88f6caa0ccbb5560b7487a7d4fb4b8e9e9 ...
...
$ node --version
v20.2.0
$ npm --version
9.6.6
$ npm clean-install
npm ERR! Exit handler never called!
npm ERR! This is an error with npm itself. Please report this error at:
npm ERR!     <https://github.com/npm/cli/issues>
npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in: /root/.npm/_logs/2023-05-18T12_24_18_695Z-debug-0.log

This started when we upgraded from node:18 to node:20 container for CI.

[jmcelroy58]

We have been running NPM v8.1 with Nodejs v16.13 and have been seeing this since May 18th just out of the blue. No other updates and changes had occurred.